JapanAxe

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1390699556' post='2348491'] Flats are a different thing, on fretted basses. You should definitely try that. [/quote] This.

Just come back from a cracking evening in Woodstock (Oxfordshire, not the other one), due in no small part to [b]fubar[/b] of this parish covering for our regular bass player. Well done Terry!

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1390678769' post='2348316'] I like the feet. [/quote] But will they clear the handle on a BF Midget? They are claiming 2000W for the model with the valve pre. Having looked into Bugera's take on the SVT3Pro (which has fewer output transistors than the Ampeg original), I somehow doubt this.

Hmm... invisible brass section and keys player!

That is all. Oh alright, I have a Korg Pitchblack running from the Tuner Out on the back of my amp.

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390594331' post='2347466'] Anyone have good ideas on what case to buy? [/quote] It comes with a gig bag to fit, which is just a tiny bit longer than a standard guitar gig bag. I haven't tried mine in any of my guitar hard cases yet, but will report back once i have.

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1390512838' post='2346365'] I have to confess that I've never understood 6 (or more) string basses. I can understand going lower but as soon as you go higher you start hitting the guitars, keyboards etc. For an extra two and a half tones of already crowded soundspace I've never seen the point in the money it costs to get a decent one. Steve [/quote] As with the 5 (only more so) you can reach all the notes you want by going across the strings rather than up and down, thus achieving greater economy of effort.

Jack socket speaker outs on a 500W head!? Man up and fit speakons!

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1390479517' post='2345816'] Musicmaster basses have shot up in price in the last couple of years. Even a tatty one will be £300+ and a decent one anything over £400. [/quote] Bass Direct have one up for £650, and I saw another one listed for over £800 by an online seller (not eBay).

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390337057' post='2344275'] Pawn shop it is then. [/quote] OK but now you have to choose the finish!

Yep, no shortage of thump from the Pawn Shop's humbucker. A friend of mine was amazed that such a little bass could make such a big sound.

Not something I would want to do unless a specific need arose e.g. Pink Floyd tribute band.

I still have a lot of GAS to burn off before I get to Clarky72's position

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1390308987' post='2343788'] The pawn shop or the 64 reissue???. I'm going to order next week. And I'm still debating the merits of both. I think I'm leaning towards the pawn shop due to the finger board radius. I think I could argue for and against on every other aspect. The reissue are Japan made I believe and the pawn shop is made somewhere else Mexico?. So please help me decide. Or as an after thought the squier version would no doubt be acceptable for my needs. [/quote] You are correct about where they are made. After I got my Pawn Shop Mustang, I tried out a re-issue that I came across in a shop. I don't think I'd have been disappointed had I got that one instead, but the mahoosive humbucker swings it for me. I must say I hadn't noticed the difference in fretboard radius. If you get the Pawn Shop version, you may want to replace the strings - the ones it comes with are horribly rough.

On the whole I don't ask to try instruments unless I am looking to buy one of that type. Often you can learn as much about the things you don't like as about the things you do. I rarely try stuff I can't afford, except for comparison purposes but this does occasionally backfire and have me reaching for my credit card. As for pay-to-try at retailers, I can't see this happening as it would erode one of their advantages over online shops, namely that you can be required to pay for return shipping on an item you are returning under the Distance Selling Regulations.

[quote name='borisbrain' timestamp='1386426516' post='2299981'] Bruce Thomas maintains a blog at www.brucethomas.co.uk and he seems quite happy to correspond with anyone who sends a comment. A while back I asked him about the signature tone he used for albums like This Year's Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy. This was his reply: [color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] My P bass had the pick ups rewound, wrongly as it happens but it turned out to be a happy accident and gave the bass a different sound in itself.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] I never used Ampeg SVT equipement until later on — and only live. On the albums you referenced I used a Traynor monoblock head with a custom speaker rig containing 2×12″ speakers and 1×18″. obviously it was the 12″ speaker that was miked up — but I also mixed in the miked sound with a DI feed.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] A vital part of the sound was a small Boss graphic EQ pedal which I used to roll out low bass and the honky mid tones (around 600 I think). The only other modification was a bit of compression.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] Having said all of that, most of the punch you talk about comes from the way you pluck the strings. The only way to describe it is to say that if you try snapping your finger and thumb together to make that snapping sound, it’s a bit like that. Also important is releasing the string with your left hand, so you get a more staccato stabbing effect.[/font][/color][color=#444444][font=minion-pro-1, minion-pro-2, Palatino, Georgia,] Try getting that kind of punchy sound just playing the bass acoustically without plugging it in to anything and you’re half way there. On some of the clips I put on youtube I turned the amp right down, so you might be able to hear what I mean.[/font][/color] It's worth wading through the site for the occasional nuggets of wisdom, and some video of his playing. Pickup wise, I think that SPB1s would be the closest match to his custom-wound pickups. Or you could just get one of his signature P basses, made through the Bass Centre in London. BB [/quote] I was about to start a Bruce Thomas thread but found this one. Mrs Axe got me an Elvis Costello compilation CD for Christmas. It covers the first 10 years and most of the tracks feature the same Attractions line-up. I am sitting at home sweating out a cold, and have just listened to 'Detectives', 'Chelsea', and 'Pump It Up' in succession. What fantastic bass lines, and a tone to die for. Off to check out BT's website now.

Tried a Dingwall 5 at Bass Direct and adapted to it straight away. Still wonder whether there is one in my future...

Everybody judges themselves against the stuff they can't do yet. Many players will do a partial position shift rather than a full stretch to get to the note they want, but you may find this less necessary with the Mustang. BTW it's a great bass! EDIT: sorry I missed that you already have a short scale.

On my Sandberg VM, I use the P on its own for punk and classic rock, 50/50 mix for most pop, and go more towards the M for funk. I've always found a J bridge pickup on its own to be not quite fat enough.

[quote name='Marc1t' timestamp='1390147481' post='2341925'] Fear & apprehension sums it up. [/quote] No need to fear! To quote Brian Eno, in music you can crash and burn and walk away.

[quote name='Hugh971' timestamp='1390045131' post='2340794'] [b]Cheap Harley Benton Fretless Jazz [/b]([url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_40fl_sb.htm"]http://www.thomann.d..._jb_40fl_sb.htm[/url]) - I've found next to nothing about this online. It looks very good for the price but it's a bit of a risk. Has anyone ever played a Harley Benton bass and if so was it any good? [/quote] Yes I have and no it wasn't. (Different model to this one though.)

That makes me a drummer!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1390051353' post='2340883'] If they've got any sense, they'll just rebadge 'em. They'll be on to a winner. [/quote] We're talking Fender here...